Chapter 5: The Choice

After entering Karlt City, Su Lun parted ways with the Caravan. The Caravan continued toward the Trading Market, while Su Lun planned to go to the inn first.

Pushing open the inn’s door, he was greeted by lively, noisy sounds mixed with the smell of Ale. The air was a bit stuffy. It was just past noon, and business at the inn was just getting started.

Su Lun’s arrival did not attract anyone’s attention. Led by a server, Su Lun went to a room on the second floor, rested briefly, and then came back downstairs.

“Ale! And bring me some food,” Su Lun said as he reached the bar, casually tossing over a Silver Nael.

The innkeeper caught the Silver Nael, glanced at it, then smiled and put it away. “No problem! Here’s your Ale. For food, we have grilled lamb chops, beef stew with mushrooms and Potato, and pork pies. They’re all our specialties. What would you like?”

“Bring me a grilled lamb chop!”

“Please wait a moment, your order will be ready soon!” The middle-aged innkeeper turned and yelled, “Bill, where have you disappeared to? Hurry up and bring this gentleman a grilled lamb chop!”

Soon, a grilled lamb chop with a crispy outside and tender inside was served. Su Lun tasted it and found it quite good—certainly much better than what he ate while camping outdoors.

After wolfing down the meal, Su Lun drank a satisfying gulp of Ale, then leaned back against the table to digest while listening to the boasts of the inn’s patrons.

Su Lun was not staying at a high-end inn; most of the people here were Mercenaries. The Tavern was almost full, filled with the sounds of drinking, card games, chatting, and the sharp scolding of serving girls—all creating a bustling atmosphere. These Mercenaries, having returned safely from their missions, needed to blow off steam.

They brought news from all over. Although much of it was exaggerated, some information was useful—like local prices and news about nearby cities.

Common iron tools were not expensive: an axe cost one Silver Nael, and a saw was a bit pricier at two Silver Nael. However, military-grade Refined Iron weapons were very costly.

A standard military longsword, made with Hundred-Forged Steel without any magical enchantments and mixed with some black steel to improve toughness, cost ten Gold Nar. It was slightly cheaper than in Caren City.

A half-body Chainmail, crafted with interlocking rings and also made of Hundred-Forged Steel without enchantments, cost seventy Gold Nar. That was equivalent to a commoner family’s savings over three years. An ordinary house in the Outer City of Karlt City cost about one hundred Gold Nar.

As for more advanced Plate Armor, a full suit could cost four to five hundred Gold Nar. Only Knights could afford such finely made Plate Armor. And because Plate Armor was so expensive, most Knights’ suits were family heirlooms.

So, if you ever saw a Knight on the battlefield wearing ancestral armor, don’t be impressed by their family honor or tradition—in reality, they just couldn’t afford new ones.

Su Lun currently had over six thousand Gold Nar. At most, this amount could equip a squad of fifty fully armed Warriors. Of course, if he used it to recruit Militia who only got a spear and Leather Armor, he could enlist five hundred or more. But the difference between the two was stark: those fully armed Warriors could probably break the Militia with a single Charge.

Su Lun came here to obtain a Territory and a noble title. As a Noble, there were several ways to get a Territory and title. The simplest was to be born to a good father and inherit the land and title as the eldest son upon adulthood.

The second way was to join the army, earn significant merits on the battlefield, and survive to be enfeoffed as a Baron by the King with a piece of Territory.

The third method was quite flexible: first, you needed to be handsome and physically fit, preferably reaching the Knight-tier level. Then, find a widowed Countess who owned a Territory. If you could marry her, you would gain both the title and the land. Su Lun had actually found a target, but due to the matter with Count Caren, he had to tearfully say goodbye to that Countess.

The fourth option was the Land Reclamation Decree. Go to the Noble Council, purchase a Land Reclamation Decree, then lead a group to claim a Territory in the Wilderness. If you succeeded and held on, you would become a landed Noble, and your Territory would generally be much larger than those of other Nobles.

High profits came with high risks. Reclaiming the Wilderness required huge resources, and the Wilderness was home not only to Gnolls, Kobolds, and Goblins but also Trolls, Ogres, Magical Beasts, Lizardfolk, Orcs, Barbarian Tribes, and even Dragons. A single misstep, and your Territory could be overrun, wiping out all your initial investment. If luck was bad, you might even end up as food in the belly of a Wilderness monster.

If none of these appealed to you, there was one more choice: become a Knight-tier expert, swear allegiance to a high-ranking Noble, and you would receive the title of Knight and a Knight’s manor. Of course, as that Noble’s Knight, you would have to serve for life and fight in their wars.

Su Lun naturally did not want to become someone else’s vassal. Swearing allegiance wasn’t just for one generation—starting from him, all his descendants who inherited his title would be that Noble’s vassals. It wasn’t selling his own life, but his children and grandchildren for generations. Still, this option was attractive to commoners.

As for joining a war, earning merits, and being granted a Territory and title—the Florence Kingdom had been established for centuries, and most of the Kingdom’s land had already been enfeoffed. Even if Su Lun earned enough military merit, the Territory granted to him would likely be small, probably just a tiny town in a remote area.

He did not want to risk his life and end up with a small, insignificant town in the boonies. Don’t think it impossible—given the nature of those Nobles, the chance of that happening was as high as ninety-nine percent.

Since options one, two, three, and five were not suitable, Su Lun’s only remaining path was to purchase a Land Reclamation Decree.

After leaving his luggage in the room, Su Lun took his Noble emblem, grabbed his longsword, and headed out of the inn. He crossed the muddy streets and arrived at the bustling main road. Spotting a sharply edged stone by the roadside, Su Lun skillfully rubbed the soles of his shoes on it to remove the mud.

His destination this time was the Noble Council in Karlt City. The Land Reclamation Decree could only be purchased there. Besides the decree, one could also donate for a Noble status there. Of course, this Noble status did not come with a Territory or title—it was merely an honorary title. Even so, many wealthy merchants were willing to pay for it.

Every year, the Noble Council earned the Kingdom a large amount of Gold Nar, which was an important source of funds for the royal family. The Gold Nar obtained from selling Land Reclamation Decrees and honorary Noble status was split fifty-fifty between the royal family and the local Nobles.